Re: ::scr The Geek Syndrome

[Chris Ball <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 2001-12-07 at 16:59, Earle Martin wrote:
> Ben, the perl coder who sits next to me, is numerically dyslexic.

Dyscalculic, iirc.  Though the only person I know who's diagnosed as
such (a housemate's girlfriend) is someone I'd just describe as "bad at
maths".  She doesn't have problems with the things that people use maths
for day-to-day: simple to vaguely advanced arithmetic. 

I think the way that things are diagnosed and how that diagnosis affects
the person are both really interesting.  I've always tried to keep
things inside my own control because of it; I have a tendency for rather
unconstructive depression, but I'd never try and assign that to a
chemical imbalance or such.  It's just something I need to try and work
on.  I think giving people excuses/labels for things that they have
trouble with can be really bad sometimes - converting "I need to work on
this, because I suck at it" to "I have $syndrome.  I can't do $task."..

- ~C.
-- 
$a="printf.net"; Chris Ball | chris@void.$a | www.$a | finger: chris@$a
         "In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded."